Sheet material bending machine



Oct. 30, 1956 M. w. EVERTON SHEET MATERIAL BENDING MACHINE Filed March'7, 1952 5y r y ATTY United States Patent SHEET MATERIAL BENDING MACHINEMelvin Waldron Everton, Burley, Idaho Application March 7, 1952, SerialNo. 275,388

1 Claim. (Cl. 153*16) This invention relates generally to the bending orshaping of metal material and is directed particularly to improvementsin machines for bending woven or welded metal screening or netting.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide an improvedmachine for forming bends in woven or welded wire netting such as iscommonly employed for forming fences or in the construction of pens forconfining animals, more particularly in connection with the raising offur bearing animals such as mink, chinchillas, rabbits and the like,wherein the bending of such netting may be accomplished easily andquickly to form a clean accurate angle without at the same time makingthe angle so sharp as to cause the breaking of the metal at the bend.

Another object of the invention is to provide a machine of the characterstated wherein cooperating elements are provided to function in a novelmanner for effecting the firm clamping or holding of the netting whilethe same is being bent to the desired form.

A further object is to provide, in the manner hereinafter set forth, anovel machine for bending wire netting of the character stated which isof relatively simple construction and consisting of a materialsupporting table having a clamping jaw for securing the materialthereon, together with a bending jaw which, after the material has beenfirmly clamped, is movable to a position whereby the material is bentagainst a face of the clamping jaw to impart the desired angular form tothe material.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe description of the same proceeds and the invention will be bestunderstood from a consideration of the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of thespecification, with the understanding, however, that the invention isnot to be limited to the exact details of construction shown anddescribed since obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled inthe art.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a view in front elevation of the machine of the presentinvention, a portion of the same being in section.

Figure 2 is a view in top plan of the machine.

Figure 3 is a tranverse section taken substantially on the line 3-3 ofFigure 1.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing it will be seen that thebending machine of the present invention comprises a pair of spaced,fiat end wall plates and 12, the plate 10 to be hereinafter referred toas the head plate and the plate 12 as the foot plate for convenience inlocating the various part of the machine, although such head and foot orend wall plate-s are of the same form.

Each of the end wall plates has a generally rectangular lower portion 15and includes at its back edge, an offset upper rectangular portion 14and disposed between the end wall plates at the rear edges thereof isthe elongate angle beam which is generally designated 16 and which ispositioned to have one flange horizontally disposed to 'ice form thewire netting supporting table 18, with the other flange 20 verticallydisposed and joined at its ends along the lower portions =15 of thevertical back edges of the end wall plates as is clearly shown in Figure3. The upper surface of the table 18 is disposed slightly below theupper edges of the lower portions 15.

Extending inwardly from each of the end wall plates 10 and 12 are twovertical guide plates 22 which are spaced apart transversely of thetable 18 as is clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3.

Overlying the top of the table 18 and positioned between the two pairsof guide plates 22 is the elongate jaw member which is generallydesignated 24 and which, as shown in Figure 3, is of substantiallyU-shaped cross section, having the vertical upwardly directed webs 26and the bottom connecting web 28 which isin opposed relation to the topsurface of the table 18.

Each end of the channel member forming the jaw 24, has the closing endwall 30 and rising from and forming a part of the top of each end wallis the rectangular box or yoke 32.

Also formed integral with each end wall 30 and extending longitudinallytherefrom is a vertical guide flange 34 which is slidably positionedbetween the adjacent pair of guide plates 22 for guiding the jaw in upand down movement with respect to the underlying table.

Extending longitudinally of the machine above the jaw 24 is an eccentricshaft 36 which has its ends extended through the end wall plates 10 and12 as shown in Figure l and which also passes through the yokes 32carried at the ends of the jaw.

At the foot end of the machine the shaft 36 has a suitable element 38fixed thereon to prevent endwise movement of the shaft in one directionwhile at the opposite end the shaft has fixed thereto upon the outerside of the adjacent wall extension 14, the collar 40 carried at theinner end of an operating lever 42.

Fixed eccentricaly to the shaft 36 are the two eccentric members or cams43, each of which is positioned within an eccentric yoke or frame 32whereby upon the turning of the shaft and the cams desired up and downmovement is imparted to the jaw 24 for the purpose of securing tightlyupon the top surface of the table 18, the screen wire netting or fabric,not shown, which is to be bent.

Positioned forwardly of and in a plane below the clamping jaw 24 is thebending jaw which is generally designated 44 and which also preferablycomprises a suitable length of angle iron material as shown in Figure 3.This bending jaw is positioned between the end wall plates 10 and 12 andat each end it has extending longitudinally therefrom at the anglebetween the work flange 45 and the downwardly directed flange 46, thepivot pins or pintles 47 1tltvhich extend through suitable apertures 48in the end wa 8.

At one end of the machine the bending jaw work frame 45 has securedthereto against the underface thereof, an end of a lever arm 49.

As shown in Figure 3, when the lever arm 49 is swung down to ahorizontal position the bending jaw 45 will also be in a horizontalplane and will have its top surface substantially in the same plane asthe top surface of the table 18. Such plane is, of course, below thebottom of the work engaging face of the web 28 of the gripping jaw asshown. Also the pivots 47 are in a vertical plane slightly forwardly ofthe front face of the jaw 24 so that the Working surface of the bendingjaw 45 when swung to a vertical position and parallel with the verticalfront Web 26 of the clamping jaw will be suitably spaced from theclamping jaw for the thickness of the material being worked upon.

It is believed that it will be readily apparent from the foregoing thatin the use of the machine the wire netting or metal cloth is slid acrossthe top of the table 18 belowa the jaw 24 until it is in thenproperposition for bending along a predetermined line, which line will be inthe plane of the forward face of the clamping jaw. The clamping jaw 42is then swung over in the proper direction to force the jaw down so asto firmly clamp the netting upon the surface of the table. The bendingjaw lever 49 is then forced upwardly so as to also turn up the portionof the screen netting lying across the top surface of the bending jaw,causing the netting to be bent around the forward bottom corner 50 oftheclamping jaw which is rounded slightly as illustrated so as to avoidgiving a too sharpbend to the wire netting which might result in thebreaking of the same. After the netting has been bent in the mannerstated it can be easily removed by releasing the clamping jaw 24 bydrawing it forwardly over the top of the bending jaw 45.

I claim:

In a sheet material bending machine, a pair of flat end plates, eachhaving a lower rectangular portion and an upper rectangular portionoffset from the upper portion of the rear edge of the lower portion, aflat sheet supporting table having a straight front edge and extendingbetween and connecting the lower end portions of the upper portionsof'said end plates, the upper surface of said table lying in a planeslightly below the plane of the top edges of the lower portions of saidend plates, a flange depending from the front edge of said tableandextending between and connecting the rear edges of the lower portions ofsaid end plates, a vertically movable jaw of substantially U-shapecross-section and having channel closing end walls, said jaw beingpositioned between the upper portions of said end plates above saidtable, said jaw having cooperative guide members between the upperportions of said end plates and the adjacent end walls of said jaw, anda bending jaw extending between and pivoted to the lower portions ofsaid end plates.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS131,239 Adler Sept. 10, 1872 141,329 Cozzens July 29, 1873 474,283Belding May 3, 1892 793,728 Mackall July 4, 1905 942,440 Danforth Dec.7, 1909 1,402,801 Schott Jan. 10, 1922 2,160,441 Peters May 30, 19392,521,840 Fennell Sept, 12, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 10,668 Great BritainMay 9, 1902 161,949 Germany July 7, 1905 23,158 Great Britain Oct. 10,1912 757,197 France Oct. 9, 1933

